The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will be honored today in Washington, D.C., for remarkable leadership in improving the quality of care for people living with cystic fibrosis by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The outlook for people with CF continues to improve steadily each year because of programs fueled by the Foundation. In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, the predicted median age of survival for those with CF is more than age 37, and people with the disease go to college, pursue careers, get married and have families.

“We are honored to receive the Health Quality Award from NCQA for driving improvements in care for people with cystic fibrosis,” said Bruce Marshall, M.D., vice president of clinical affairs for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “Increasingly, we’re learning that quality improvement efforts when applied to a chronic disease can have a dramatic impact on patients’ lives.”